The present invention relates to synthetic resin containers and, more particularly, to blow molded synthetic resin containers having grip recesses formed about the periphery thereof.
As is well known, blow molded synthetic resin containers are now widely employed for many applications and are produced in a variety of sizes and configurations. Such containers are intended to provide not only for protective storage of the product contained therein, but also for easy dispensing or pouring of the contents. As a result, various container configurations have been proposed to permit facile gripping of the container by the user, particularly when the surface of the container may be moist and provide an opportunity for slippage to occur in the user's hand. To achieve this result, ribs, roughening and various types of formations have been suggested and employed on the surface of the container.
In addition, there have been a number of efforts to provide grip recesses about the periphery of the container to receive the user's thumb and fingers so as to improve the gripping ability. Exemplary of such designs are Ota et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,752 and Alberghini et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,097. As is discussed in both of these patents, there is a tendency for such grip recesses to evert as a result of internal pressure from the contents alone or from the stresses which result from dropping the filled container even a small distance. As a result, both Ota et al and Alberghini et al propose to provide transverse ribs within the grip recesses to increase the resistance to eversion under shock loading.
In the Ota et al and Alberghini et al patents, a multiplicity of transversely extending ribs are shown in each rib. However, it has also been suggested to provide recesses with axially extending ribs such as seen in Kerr U. S. Design Pat. No. 277,551. In practice such prior ribbed constructions for the grip recess have not proven particularly effective in resisting the tendency for eversion in a drop test which is critical to the adoption of such container designs for widespread application.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to produce a blow molded synthetic resin container having grip recesses formed about the periphery thereof which exhibit a high degree of resistance to eversion under shock loading and internal pressure.
It is also an object to provide such a container in which a single transverse rib in the grip recesses may provide such resistance to eversion even in grip recesses of substantial axial dimension, thus enabling the user to dispose a multiplicity of fingers within the grip recess.
Another object is to provide such a container which may be readily manufactured and which may be modified in grip recess configuration to permit grip recesses of even greater axial dimension.